A number of days in the past, Oliver Anthony of “Wealthy Males North of Richmond” fame launched a 15-minute stream of consciousness video ranting concerning the ills of the nation music trade. Among the observances and sentiments he shares are true, and stuff you may be inclined to pump your fist in settlement over. A number of of the issues he says are categorically false and deceptive at finest, and considerably harmful to place on the market within the public with out context.
All of it has change into nice grist for the web click on mills, with retailers pull quoting Anthony’s scathing rebuke of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, and others claiming that Oliver Anthony referred to as out Parker McCollum for utilizing backing tracks—an accusation McCollum categorically denies.
However the lion’s share of the video captures Oliver Anthony ruminating about his experiences with a bunch of douchebag mainstream nation music trade varieties in Nashville that every one tried to steer him within the flawed instructions. You most definitely can perceive his frustration with that have. However what this results in may be very severe questions of why an artist like Oliver Anthony acquired blended up with mainstream nation trade cretins within the first place.
“These folks have a look at you such as you’re a gasoline supply,” Anthony says originally of the video. “Such as you’re an oil nicely. And so they simply need to see how a lot oil they will get out of you. And every time they’re accomplished with you, they simply spit you out. You don’t matter anymore. And the issue is that the music doesn’t matter to them. And a variety of time the music finally ends up not even mattering to the artist as a result of they’ve them singing songs and have them doing issues that aren’t even theirs. So there’s not any coronary heart in it.”
This expertly describes a big portion of the mainstream nation music trade, although not all. It’s certainly unimaginable to witness the soulless, commodification of music that occurs on Music Row, the dearth of dedication past no matter is making essentially the most cash, and the way this sifts sure artists signed to main labels right into a black gap of consideration, generally referred to as the “Artist Safety Program.”
Oliver Anthony goes on to say, “Discover some man that you would be able to construct a personality round, prop him up by means of your label, give him a bunch of songs that some children over on the Hick in Nashville wrote whereas they had been sporting their Crocs and consuming White Claws and hitting golf balls. No one that’s both written the music or actually sung it understands the phrases to the songs that they’re singing. However it sounds good, and it’s catchy, and it matches the mannequin. And it seems like each different huge music that been out within the final 5 years. It’s identical to a rinse and repeat mannequin.”
Then Oliver Anthony talks about how he ended up signing with a administration firm that didn’t share his imaginative and prescient for his music, and simply stood in the best way of all of the issues he wished to do.
“Individuals within the trade solely work with folks within the trade,” he explains. “So if you wish to use an unbiased documentary man, or if you wish to unconventionally report songs, or unconventionally launch them, or if you wish to have any affect exterior of no matter that mannequin is, they gained’t let you know they don’t need to work on it, and gained’t let you know that you would be able to’t do it. They simply shake your hand and nod their head, after which stall no matter initiatives you’re making an attempt to work on till you work it out and begin doing it your self.”
Anthony continues, “So it took 6 or 8 or 10 months of me of getting stalled and manipulated, and put down, and discouraged to say the issues I wished to say to the purpose the place now I’m simply again to doing my very own factor once more. I don’t want a bunch of nerds and occasional consuming freaks in Nashville to inform me the way to stay my life. I suppose that was my mistake for counting on these folks as a substitute of counting on God and the folks I belief.”
However once more, the massive query is why Oliver Anthony was working with mainstream nation trade folks in Nashville within the first place? Why would he ever be interfacing with this facet of nation music? Doesn’t he know there’s a complete different trade arrange as a counterbalance to radio nation on the unbiased facet that does permit inventive freedom for artists, and may nonetheless facilitate expansive distribution of music and stay efficiency alternatives?
How did Oliver Anthony get attached with the flawed folks, particularly after he confirmed what gave the impression to be such smarts and presence of thoughts when being interviewed by Joe Rogan, and mentioned on a number of events as “Wealthy Males North of Richmond” was exploding that he was going to be very cautious with who he labored with?
All of the indicators early on had been that Oliver Anthony was working with the flawed people. He was pictured with disgraced nation publicist Kirt Webster. He was booked on unhealthy mainstream nation music festivals. He mentioned early on he was being mentored by Jamey Johnson, (Anthony wears a Jamey Johnson shirt within the video, which he jokes about). However Jamey Johnson simply launched his first authentic album in 14 years. He’s an excellent particular person to advise Oliver Anthony on the artistry of nation music. However Johnson’s utterly out of contact with regards to the nation music enterprise and administration.
“One of many guys I labored with, he wished me to make some silly f–king publish about Beyoncé’s nation album, about the way it was good, despite the fact that it was full trash,” Anthony says within the video. “It simply makes me need to throw up, making an attempt to hearken to the start of her model of ‘Jolene.’ It’s whole cringe. It represents how degenerative our society has change into {that a} Beyoncé model of ‘Jolene’ can come and anyone really hearken to it and never assume it’s full f–king trash.”
Why would Oliver Anthony ever be interfacing with somebody who can be recommend he reward Beyoncé on social media? In what universe would that ever happen? As a lot as you should use Oliver Anthony’s phrases for perception on how the mainstream nation music trade works, Oliver Anthony himself deserves blame for ever placing himself in that scenario.
Anthony appears to need to blame the truth that he got here out of nowhere with “Wealthy Males North of Richmond” for getting swept up in a second. However the identical precise factor occurred to Zach Bryan, and he discovered the appropriate avenue within the trade to navigate away from the Music Row puppetmasters. So have many others like Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers.
Even now Oliver Anthony and the folks round him appear completely unaware that sturdy options to Music Row exist. Or in the event that they do know, they go away this portion of the story utterly out of the 15-minute video. That is particularly apparent when Oliver Anthony begins speaking about acting at nation music festivals.
“Individuals don’t understand {that a} band could make $450,000 for standing on stage for an hour, and also you’re solely listening to half the band as a result of a variety of these mainstream acts, particularly in nation, greater than … like these nation music festivals, all people runs backing tracks,” Anthony says. “Like I’ll always remember, I gained’t say who the act is. However it was at South Carolina on the Myrtle Seaside one, the band who performed after us, that dude had six Autotune modulators on a pedal board on stage simply to assist him with vocals pitch stay. And so they had backing tracks thrown in, drum loops working … all of them do it.”
First off, no, they don’t “all” do it. And the one time you will notice or hear anybody do it’s at mainstream nation festivals just like the Carolina Nation Music Fest that Anthony references. That competition was headlined by Previous Dominion, Morgan Wallen, and Carrie Underwood. Oliver Anthony is a man who exploded in reputation from a video of him performing solo acoustic out within the woods. They’re two utterly totally different universes.
If you go to an precise nation music competition, or an unbiased music competition, you by no means see Autotune or backing tracks getting used. And while you do, it stands out so starkly, it’s stunning. That is a number of the polarization surrounding Ian Munsick, who’s the one artist you’ll ever see at an unbiased competition taking part in to backing tracks. So when Oliver Anthony says this apply is throughout nation festivals, he’s sharing an uninformed opinion, and creating a variety of pointless collateral injury.
Taking Oliver Anthony’s quotes, followers began deducing that he may be particularly speaking about Parker McCollum, who carried out after Anthony on the Carolina Nation Music Fest in 2024. Trying to mine clicks, Whisky Riff then posted an article about it, as soon as once more underscoring how Whiskey Riff is manufacturing drama on the expense of the nation music group.
Parker McCollum subsequently responded in a video, “100% fabricated lie. I’ve by no means ever ever one time have I used Autotune, or a drum loop, or something pretend of any variety on stage. Me and my guys are rippin’ it the actual deal ever single evening. There has by no means been one single a part of our present, not one observe that was not stay, uncooked, and within the second. 100% fabricated story.”
For the report, Oliver Anthony by no means named Parker McCollum. He may have meant a distinct performer, and it may have even been a distinct competition. It actually was Whiskey Riff who made Anthony’s quotes appear to be a direct name out of McCollum.
Oliver Anthony concluded the video by saying, “No one talks about that stuff,” like using AutoTune and drum loops stay, and the way songs are written within the mainstream is a novel revelation on his half. However anybody who has ever spent any time on a web site like Saving Nation Music would know all of these items inherently. If something, Antony’s insights sound passe and trite. In fact mainstream nation music is manufactured.
When Zach Bryan first began blowing up, Saving Nation Music made a concerted effort to contact him to not solely conduct an interview, however to share some fast perception concerning the bifurcated nature of the nation music trade, and which facet to be on. Within the case of Oliver Anthony, massive efforts had been additionally made to achieve out to each Oliver and the people representing him. No response ever got here.
Oliver Anthony is booked in 2025 at festivals that ought to be extra his pace like Beneath The Large Sky Fest in Montana. However somebody wants to sit down him down and provides him the lay of the land in nation music if he’s speaking to folks telling him to tout Beyoncé, and to carry out with individuals who use AutoTune.
None of this implies Oliver Anthony’s criticisms of the nation music trade are incorrect. However the unbiased facet of nation music now represents practically 50% of all trade exercise. In the event you assume the one possibility is utilizing TuneCore to launch your music, or signing to a Music Row main label or administration firm, you’re 14 years behind the curve, and horrifically uninformed.
